Youngest on Top - Chapter 200

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 200

* * *

Ricardo stared at Kaishurit with a dazed expression.
Kaishurit swallowed back a hollow laugh.

‘It’s written all over his face.’

What absolute nonsense was this?

“I had no idea? This is completely out of the blue!”
“Really? Then you and Saelika must not be that close.”
“We’re incredibly close!”

Close didn’t even begin to cover it—she was him!
His expression screamed that fact as loudly as if he’d written it across his forehead.
Watching his transparent face, I nearly burst out laughing.

‘That bewildered expression of his remains unchanged no matter what form he takes.’

Kaishurit swallowed his laughter and tilted his head.

“If you’re close, why don’t you know?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t know, it’s just that… this makes no sense in the first place—.”
“Saelika seduced me.”
“…??!??”

Ricardo furrowed his brow and cupped his ear.
Then he spoke with a composed expression.

“I didn’t hear that right. Say it again.”
“Saelika seduced me.”
“…What?!”

Ricardo jumped to his feet.

“I— when did he ever—?!”
“Saelika isn’t the type to flirt with every man in sight without any real interest.”
“Yeah, that’s true. She doesn’t play those games.”
“So if he seduced me, that means he likes me, right?”
“No! When did Sae ever seduce you—!!”

Kaishurit let out a soft laugh.

“You asked me to be your first partner when you came to the Regime.”
“That’s not—.”
“You happened to meet me in the Park under the guise of coincidence.”
“It really was a coincidence, that part!!”
“You knew people grow weak when they’re in pain, so you were especially kind to me during those times.”
“Of course you help someone who’s suffering! That’s just common sense!!”

He was spouting nothing but absurd nonsense.
Ricardo looked up at Kaishurit with an incredulous expression.

‘Is this bastard delusional?’

In the moment he sent a suspicious glare.
Kaishurit’s smile deepened.
His well-shaped lips parted slightly.

“You pinned me down.”
“…!”
“Even while the broadcast magical device was recording, you were quite aggressive about it.”

Ricardo’s expression of disbelief finally cracked for the first time.
It was the face of someone caught red-handed.

I absolutely didn’t intend to pin him down.
I was just trying to untie what was binding him.
But I lost my balance, and somehow it ended up looking like I had pinned him down…

‘That was purely an accident—.’

“Saelika, why didn’t you sever the rose vines with holy power all at once?”
“Huh?”
“The rose vines, I mean. Instead of trying to untangle them with your hands, if you’d cut them with holy power, it would’ve been clean.”

Ilay’s words echoed in my mind.
If I had severed them with holy power as he said, I wouldn’t have ended up tackling Kaishurit.
But.
But!

“Th-that wasn’t intentional, it just… happened that way…”
“You did it on purpose.”
“…”

Kaishurit leaned forward.
A face so beautiful that “perfect” seemed insufficient drew close enough to touch.
A pleasant fragrance wafted from him.
Eyes like gemstones reflecting multiple hues narrowed into crescents.

“You like me, don’t you, Saelika?”

The handsome face before me at such close range—close enough to feel his breath—possessed tremendous presence.
Ricardo swallowed hard.

“Th-that’s still not—”
“Unless you’re saying you’re playing the field with me.”
“…”

Was this a threat?

‘How can I say no when he’s saying it like that!!’

If I answered no, it would be the same as admitting I was juggling the Crown Prince of the Empire!

‘Damn it, would they arrest me for insulting the imperial family?’

“So you’ve been toying with my innocent son who knows nothing about women!”

The image of the Emperor ranting and raving like that flashed through my mind.

“Sigh, it seems the marriage is already settled.”
“Marriage? What do you mean?”
“You two were lying down, embracing and nuzzling each other in front of the entire nation. How could you possibly marry someone else?”
“N-nuzzling?!”
“Well, not just the nation. The entire Continent witnessed it.”
“….”
“I never thought Saelika would go to such lengths to have me.”

Me?!
Ricardo opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
He should have protested, but the statement was so absurd that no rebuttal came to mind.
His head felt dizzy.

Tap.
At that moment, Kaishurit’s finger touched his forehead.

“You claim to be close with Saelika, yet you understood nothing.”
“….”
“Engrave this firmly in your mind.”

Kaishurit laughed.
As if he were genuinely amused.

“Saelika loves me enough to orchestrate such an elaborate scheme.”

Ricardo stared blankly at Kaishurit before rubbing his forehead.
The spot where his finger had touched.

‘…What nonsense is he spouting.’

As he pouted, his empty hand was grasped.

“…?”

He looked at Kaishurit in confusion, only for him to return the gaze as if questioning why.

“Whenever we met, you always asked for my hand. I’m offering it first.”
“That was only to seal away the curse….”

Ricardo, who had been responding, let out a deep sigh.

‘Well, forget it.’

Rather than withdraw my hand again, I simply grasped Kaishurit’s hand in return.
His body temperature was far higher than I expected.
Standing side by side, a pleasant fragrance emanated from him.
His shoulders were broad, and he’d grown considerably taller—

‘Wait, why am I thinking such things?!’

Ricardo came to his senses with a sharp breath.

‘This guy said something unnecessarily strange.’

As I fidgeted with our clasped hands, Kaishurit asked.

“Where were you headed?”
“Ah, I needed to find something. I was going to get it.”
“Something?”
“Well, it’s something I need….”

As I spoke, I caught sight of Kaishurit’s face and hesitated.

‘Actually, this works out well!’

I asked Kaishurit in a casual tone.

“Shuri, you’re the Crown Prince, aren’t you?”
“….”

Kaishurit’s expression hardened.
I realized my mistake.

‘Does he think Saelika and I were talking behind his back?’

“I found out from seeing you on a broadcast.”
“…I see.”

No matter how much I explained, Kaishurit’s expression remained unrelenting.
But there was no helping it.
I absolutely had to obtain that object.
Ricardo spoke with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Then repay your debt.”
“…What?”
“Repay your debt, I said.”

Kaishurit stared down at Ricardo blankly.
Seeing him speak with such composure, shoulders squared and unwavering—.

‘Ah, you really are….’

Laughter threatened to escape him.
Only then did Kaishurit understand why his mood had darkened just moments before.

‘I was afraid this fellow would distance himself from me, the Crown Prince.’

That he would abandon this insolent demeanor and bow his head.
But Ricardo remained Ricardo.
Kaishurit asked in a slightly more pleasant tone.

“How would I repay this debt?”
“The object I want is in a restricted zone.”
“So the imperial family can enter easily, it seems.”
“That’s right.”
“Where is it?”

Kaishurit’s voice grew gentler.
In truth, he was prepared to accompany him anywhere.
A restricted zone accessible only to the imperial family would surely be quiet and deserted.
It would be magnificent, and the atmosphere quite pleasant.

‘If the two of us went to such a place alone—.’

“The Imperial Mausoleum.”
“….”

Crack.
A fissure appeared across Kaishurit’s face.

“Why?”
“A cemetery…?”

At the low, questioning tone, Ricardo realized something.
What kind of misunderstanding was he having!

“No, I’m not a grave robber, okay?! I’m not going there to steal!!”
“….”
“W-well, I might sneak out one item or two. But it’s not really stealing, more like… Anyway, I’m not going to desecrate tombs or anything!”

Even as he waved his hands in protest, Kaishurit’s gaze remained unchanged.

‘I’d think the same thing if I were him!’

Ricardo broke out in cold sweat.
He’d spoken so thoughtlessly, assuming it would be an easy matter.

Then Kaishurit spoke.

“Tell me what it is and I’ll help you get it. Let’s go somewhere else today.”
“No, I’m really not trying to rob graves—.”
“I understand. I’ll help you. So let’s go somewhere else.”
“Ugh….”

Ricardo nodded for now.
If he insisted here after Kaishurit had offered to help, he’d really be suspected of being a grave robber.

“But where are we going? Do you have somewhere in mind?”
“Anywhere. Somewhere that isn’t a cemetery.”

His voice was grinding, bitter.
Only now did Ricardo grasp the truth.

‘He wasn’t suspecting me of being a grave robber.’

If he had suspected that, he wouldn’t have offered to help me get the item.

‘The problem was the tomb!’

Ricardo’s eyes flickered with a peculiar emotion as he gazed at Kaishurit.

“Shuri.”
“What.”
“Are you afraid of the undead? Scared of ghosts?”
“….”
“Don’t worry!”

Ricardo clenched his fist and swung it through the air with a whoosh.

“I’ll beat up all the undead for you! That’s what friends do!!”
“….”
“…?”
“…sigh.”

Kaishurit let out a sigh.
Ricardo felt a twinge of unease.

‘It seems like he’s looking at me like I’m pathetic right now.’

Kaishurit found it absurd for his own reasons.
Ricardo was truly consistent.
Ever since their first meeting until now, he always burst out with words.
But then.

‘Have I gone soft?’

Kaishurit looked at Ricardo, whose fists were still clenched tight.

‘Even that appearance looks cute to me now.’

Kaishurit squeezed the hand he was holding once more and took a step forward.

“Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“You mentioned it before. Let’s go get dessert.”

“It’s fine, Shuri. Let’s go get dessert with Lika.”
“Don’t drink it. You shouldn’t drink happiness.”
“Lika, go with Shuri.”

Ricardo looked at Kaishurit with a slightly bewildered expression.
His face was clouded.

“…You remember that? That was years ago.”
“I don’t remember things just because I try to.”
“…”
“You’re the first person to ever speak to me with such impertinence.”
“…”
“I only remember because I found it absurd.”

Ricardo chuckled softly.

‘After all this time, he’s acting like a kitten again.’

The complicated feelings that had weighed on him suddenly lifted.

“Then let’s go to the arcade! They have this incredibly delicious apple pie there—.”

Ricardo’s energy surged, and he began chattering away enthusiastically.
Watching him, Kaishurit chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the commercial shoot location.

“He hasn’t come out.”
“Still no sign.”
“Not coming out.”

The men who had become statues outside the shoot location furrowed their brows.

“The shoot should have wrapped by now.”
“Most of the Sacred Maidens have already left.”

They exchanged glances.

“She didn’t leave through the main gate.”
“Not through the rear entrance either.”
“What about the side gate?”
“It’s never been opened.”

Their expressions grew grave.

“Surely that damned bastard didn’t pull some trick and sneak her away, did he?”
“No one entered the building.”
“Let’s calm down for now. Dolores hasn’t come out yet either.”
“Since they haven’t seen each other in so long, their conversation in the lounge might just be taking longer than expected.”

That was possible.
Once Dolores saw Saelika, she rarely let her go.

“I don’t trust that Dolores either.”
“Still, she’s better than that cunning vixen.”

Everyone agreed with that sentiment.
But Kaiser’s expression remained unrelieved.

‘My mood is foul…’

It wasn’t merely foul—it was absolutely wretched.
Admiral Ekellan muttered beside him.

“Something’s irritating me…”
“…You too?”
“It’s like biting into an apple only to discover a worm has been eating away at my apple from the inside.”
“…”

It was a somewhat absurd analogy.

“I feel the same way.”

Kaiser’s and Admiral Ekellan’s gazes collided in the empty air.
The two comrades found each other disagreeable, yet they trusted each other’s sharp instincts implicitly.

“Attention all Temple Priests! We are switching to a new operational stance.”
“Pardon?”
“Defcon 3!! I am issuing a Defcon 3 alert!”

Defcon 3.
A state of heightened readiness.
At those words, the eyes of the remaining Temple Priests grew solemn.
They had instinctively grasped the gravity of the situation.

“Protect the youngest from the fox’s grasp!!!!”

* * *

The Dessert House.
Kaishurit and Ricardo were amicably sharing desserts together.
The retainers who witnessed this tilted their heads in bewilderment.

‘What, what is this?’
‘This is….’

No matter how you looked at it—.

‘Doesn’t this look like a couple on a date?!’

That was when it happened.
Kaishurit lifted a piece of cake with his fork and brought it to Ricardo’s lips.

“Gasp!”

Gasps erupted among the retainers.
Kaishurit was actually feeding someone cake with his own fork…?!

There was no denying it now.
How could they turn a blind eye to such an intimate, lovey-dovey scene unfolding right before their eyes!

“C-could our master possibly….”

An earthquake trembled through the eyes of the retainers.

“You’re fond of Ricardo?!”

Our master was gay?!

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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